Guild News Blog

Hiring Homework: Work on Spec at Its Worst

Creative professionals are being asked to complete work on assignments, usually without payment, as a condition of being interviewed for a potential job....

04 August, 2021

TDC’s Zelda Harrison on Type Drives Communities

The Type Directors Club annual conference explored diversity in typography and design, showcasing underrepresented communities and designers. ...

30 July, 2021

Copyright Office Extends COVID-Related Operations Provisions

The Copyright Office has extended its COVID-related adjustments to the copyright registration process until September 8, 2021....

27 July, 2021

Sophisticated Hiring Scam Targets Graphic Artists

Fraudsters are setting up realistic “job interviews” and using tactics to con graphic artists into relinquishing funds or share their personal ID....

13 July, 2021

Raven Stamp Celebrates Tlingit Culture

This month, the USPS will be unveiling the ”Raven Stamp” featuring artwork created by Tlingit and Athabascan artist Rick Lanáat’ Worl....

06 July, 2021

#MoMAPhotoClub: That Cool Hashtag is a Rights Grab

MoMA is claiming extensive nonexclusive rights to any photo posted to social media with their #MoMAPhotoClub hashtag....

02 July, 2021

Member Spotlight: Kevin Baculi on Diversity from an AAPI Perspective

In his presentation on AAPI Diversity in the Guild, Kevin Baculi shared insights as a first-generation Asian American of Filipino descent. ...

03 June, 2021

Copyright Office Solicits Feedback on Copyright Small Claims Board

The Guild joined other creators’ organizations in providing the Copyright Office feedback on proposed procedures for the copyright small claims board....

29 May, 2021

Contribution or Exploitation: Design Challenges for Social Good

Contests soliciting work from designers and illustrators in support of social causes can cross into a troubling practice which devalues their work....

21 May, 2021

A Peek Inside the 16th Edition of the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook

one of the most powerful tools I’ve ever encountered is this book. It’s the only textbook I make my undergrads buy. It’s not only about pricing (the first thing anyone looks at, I’m sure). It’s about ETHICAL guidelines—the standards for how we should be treated as professionals and for how we should conduct business. ...

12 May, 2021

It’s Almost Here! 16th Edition of the Handbook Ships May 18th

With a new chapter on maximizing income through multiple streams and interviews with successful artists, the 16th edition hits the stores....

03 May, 2021

One Year, One Pandemic, Three Children’s Books: Time Flies

Children’s book illustrator Liz DiFiore landed her first three book projects and shares her insights....

29 April, 2021

Health Insurance: Higher Tax Credits and Lower Premiums

The American Rescue Plan provides measures for the federal and state exchanges to pass on health insurance savings to consumers....

29 April, 2021

Google v. Oracle Decision Troubling for Creators

The court ruled 6-2 that Google’s copying of Oracle’s code falls under fair use, a decision that could result in a broadening of the doctrine....

20 April, 2021

Non-Fungible What?

Buyers of NFTs need to be certain of what they are purchasing. Similar to buying a physical work of art – a painting or a sculpture – the buyer does not automatically receive the copyrights to the work....

06 April, 2021

The Road to a (Potentially) Forgivable PPP Loan

The deadline for applications for PPP loans has been extended to May 31st, 2021. One member's experience applying for a loan....

05 April, 2021

Work for Free: ICoD Position on Unpaid Work

ICoD’s Position on unpaid work helps designers navigate when to consider and reject a request for unpaid or uncompensated work....

05 April, 2021

Copyright Office Publishes CASE Act Resource Page

We’re getting closer to the implementation of a copyright small claims board! The Copyright Office has published resources on the CASE Act and the creation of the copyright claims board (CCB)....

05 April, 2021

Call to Action: Ask McGraw-Hill to Rescind their Freelancers Fee

The publisher is charging freelancers a 2.2% fee for submitting their invoices....

31 March, 2021

Member Webinar March 10: State of Our Healthcare

LIG will cover what changes the Biden administration bodes for health insurance, and what that means for our members....

02 March, 2021

IllustratorHub Showcases Black Illustrators

Art buyers can find a illustrators exhibiting a range of styles and black illustrators can find a supportive community....

27 February, 2021

Changes to PPP Loan Program Benefit Sole Proprietors, Microbusinesses, and Underserved Communities

Businesses that received a smaller share of PPP funding last year will have easier access to loans thanks to February 22, 2021 changes....

26 February, 2021

Terrence Moline of AAGD Featured in Voyage Austin

Our South Region Associate Rep and the founder of African American Graphic Designers was spotlighted in his local publication....

21 February, 2021

Healthcare Marketplace Reopened for 2021 Insurance

Federal and state health insurance exchanges have reopened for enrollment, or have extended special COVID-19 coverage....

17 February, 2021

Member Spotlight: Denise Coke, Designer, Illustrator, and AR Innovator

Designer and illustrator Denise Coke has been exploring the possibilities of augmented reality in creating experiences around her artwork....

14 February, 2021

Black Design in America: Educational Program Series

During January and into the first week of February, the design studio, Polymode, has facilitated a BIPOC design history course. ...

31 January, 2021

Shir Warr: An Atypical Copyright Alliance Spotlight

Shir Warr stands out among designer profiles: not only is an excellent designer, she is also a body builder and a trainer. ...

31 January, 2021

AD+D Culture: Addressing Diversity and Appropriation in

AD+D Culture’s online platform and article hub addresses the lack of diversity in advertising....

21 January, 2021

Scam Alert: False Copyright Claims on Wikimedia Entries

A new type of scam targets users of images uploaded to Wikimedia Commons and available for use through a Creative Commons license....

20 January, 2021

Google Licensable Badge Resources

To assist illustrators and designers in embedding their metadata, Carl Siebert posted a Google licensable badge resource page. ...

07 January, 2021

COVID Relief: Additional PPP Loans and Support for Mixed Earners

The $900 billion stimulus package includes additional funding for PPP loans and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation....

05 January, 2021

CASE Act Update: What’s Next for a Small Claims Tribunal

Now that the CASE Act is signed into law, the Copyright Office has 12-18 months to establish a copyright small claims tribunal, and we’ll be weighing in....

28 December, 2020

Annual National Board Meeting: Zoom or Bust

The Graphic Artists Guild conducted our annual in-person National Board meeting in early December 2020 — virtually, of course!...

27 December, 2020

The Graphic Artists Guild Applauds the Passage of the CASE Act

The Graphic Artists Guild applauds the passage of The CASE Act, The Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act of 2019. ...

22 December, 2020

Why Designer/Illustrator Crisy Meschieri Supports the CASE Act  

I think of S 1273 as the “just in case” act — just in case my artwork gets stolen, I'll have a small copyright claims tribunal to go to....

08 December, 2020

Graphic Designer Kate’s Story: Why We Need the CASE Act

An association with a mission to support local small businesses had no issue with taking advantage of her small business....

04 December, 2020

Deadlines for Healthcare Open Enrollment Fast Approaching

During a pandemic, it's important to have health insurance, and deadlines for open enrollment expire within the next 2-5 weeks....

04 December, 2020

Why Children’s Book Illustrator Liz DiFiore Supports the CASE Act  

No one will fight for us, so we must stand up for ourselves. Take 5 minutes today to stand up for your right to be paid for your work....

01 December, 2020

Studio Owner Jay’s Story: Why We Need the CASE Act

A client used a logo design he had rejected — and didn’t pay for — and then said “you should take me to court.”...

29 November, 2020

CASE Act: Down to the Wire

We have until the end of this year to get S 1273, the CASE Act, passed by the Senate – and finally get justice for individual creators!...

19 November, 2020

Combating Deep Fakes and Establishing Authenticity

Adobe's initiative will give graphic artists an additional means of establishing the provenance and ownership of their works....

31 October, 2020

Open Enrollment Begins November 1st – LIG has Options for Guild Members

The Guild with nine other organizations that make up the Book Industry Health Insurance Partnership (BIHIP) in offering a choice of health insurance options in partnership with LIG Solutions....

30 October, 2020

Taking MICE Virtual: The Indie Comics Expo

The Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo rethought their annual event as a virtual conference that kept the comics creator as the focus....

29 October, 2020

Eight Tricks for Virtual Networking During COVID

Guest writer Crisy Meschieri shares her top tips and best practices for making the most out of virtual networking events....

25 October, 2020

ICoD Publishes Professional Code of Conduct for Designers

ICoD’s Code was constructed to provide guidance to design associations intending to craft their own codes, and to educational institutions developing curricula....

07 October, 2020

Nominate Your Favorite Article for the MVP Awards

Nominate your favorite article on design, illustration, or industry news for Graphic Arts Today's MVP Award by October 13th....

06 October, 2020

Shira Perlmutter Appointed as Register of Copyrights

The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the appointment of Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights....

23 September, 2020

Illustrators Benefit from Bill Rectifying CA Labor Law

AB2257 clarifies provisions of of the earlier labor law and provides exemptions for freelancers such as illustrators....

20 September, 2020

Google Launches Licensable Image Badge

Google has launched their Licensable Images badge, which permits visual artists to indicate in search results which images are licensable and link to the license page....

10 September, 2020

Blockchain Technology Resource Guide

Jesús Cedeño has published a comprehensive blockchain technology resource guide – a technology which is being implemented to manage creative works rights....

08 September, 2020

Copyright Alliance Comments Spotlight Infringement by States

Copyright Alliance’s comments on sovereign immunity shed light on how pervasive copyright infringement by states and state agencies is....

05 September, 2020

Guild Health Insurance Options Explained

Guild member health insurance options through the BIHIP could result in significant savings for Guild members....

29 August, 2020

What to Tell Your Senators About the CASE Act

Meetings between Senatorial staff and Guild members highlighted how important it is for Congress to hear from their constituents to get The CASE Act passed....

15 August, 2020

Guild Announces New Health Insurance Program Through BIHIP

The Book Industry Health Insurance Partnership (BIHIP) launched to provide members from the eleven associations with a choice of health insurance options....

04 August, 2020

Member Spotlight: Crisy Meschieri, Designer – Illustrator – Advocate

The redesign of the Huntsville, AL transit branding was a high profile and meaningful project or this multi-talented designer. ...

03 August, 2020

Hue Design Summit: A Model for a Virtual Conference

Guild Board member, Yanique DaCosta, presented on pricing and ethical considerations for graphic designers....

29 July, 2020

Designers and Equality: Ethical Considerations from the International Council of Design

“Meditations on Equality,” was written to spur designers and design associations to consider their responsibility in addressing issues of social inequality....

24 July, 2020

Three Gains for Visual Artists Regarding Instagram

After a photographer was blocked from bringing an infringement lawsuit, three significant developments have bolstered visual artists’ rights on Instagram....

05 July, 2020

PPP and EIDL Updates: Increased Financial Resources for Small Businesses and Freelancers

Two bills which will make it much easier to apply for PPP loans, and EIDL) has been reopened for small businesses, sole proprietors, and freelancers....

03 July, 2020

CASE Act Senatorial Campaign: Let’s Get the S. 1273 Passed This July!

July is our make-or-break month to get The CASE Act passed – please contact your Senators and ask them to co-sponor S. 1273!...

02 July, 2020

In Memory of Milton Glaser: Designer, Illustrator, Educator, Advocate

The Graphic Artists Guild mourns the passing of Milton Glaser, a lifelong advocate – for graphic designers, for his beloved New York City, and for the environment....

28 June, 2020

National Emergency Library Closes, But Open Library Continues to Infringe Copyrights

While the Internet Archive shut down it’s National Emergency Library, it continues to violate copyrights to the detriment of visual artists and authors....

20 June, 2020

The Guild with BIHIP Partners With LIG Solutions to Provide Members Health Insurance Options

The Guild with nine other organizations that make up the Book Industry Health Insurance Partnership (BIHIP) in offering a choice of health insurance options in partnership with LIG Solutions....

10 June, 2020

Guild Statement on Black Lives and Racial Justice

As long as Black visual creators don’t have the same opportunities and security as other Americans, the Guild will fail in its mission....

03 June, 2020

Success! How Two Guild Members Got Stimulus Loans

Two of our Guild members successfully received PPP loans, and share their experience to encourage illustrators and designers to apply....

31 May, 2020

A Pandemic is a Good Time to Pass the CASE Act

As creators are facing dire financial circumstances caused by the COVID crisis, the time has come to pass The CASE Act. ...

29 May, 2020

Building a Blistering Fast Portfolio Website with Gatsby

Web developer Haydn Adams used his COVID-19 downtime to rebuild his B2B portfolio website, Nautilius Design, in the static site generator Gatsby....

29 May, 2020

Creative Advice and Process from Pros, Streamed Live

Every day at 7 a.m. EDT, Behance is live-streaming well known illustrators, designers, and artists as they work on projects and answer viewers’ questions. If the live-stream is too early for you, you can also watch archived presentations. ...

28 May, 2020

Hackers Clone Icon Website to Steal Credit Card Information

Malwarebytes discovered a novel scam whereby cyber criminals cloned an icon ecommerce site to steal shoppers’ credit card information....

18 May, 2020

Letterform Landscapes: Video Conference Call Backgrounds for Typophiles

The Letterform Archive has published images culled from their collection which you can use as a background image on your next virtual meeting. ...

12 May, 2020

Member Spotlight: Children’s Book Illustrators

We’re honoring the professionals whose work has helped families with children weather sheltering-at-home: children’s illustrators!...

01 May, 2020

Never Stop Dancing: Making a Case for Maintaining Momentum

Theresa Whitehill believes businesses that are able to maintain some kind of momentum that will help the economy recover when the time comes....

30 April, 2020

A $200-Million Publisher Can Embed Your Instagram Images – What You Can Do About It

A court opinion has made it clear that users can sidestep licensing images by using Instagram's embedding API, so associations have proposed a solution....

28 April, 2020

Plea to Congress to Support Individual Creators and Microbusinesses

The Guild has sent a letter to Congress asking for greater economic support for freelancers, sole proprietors, and micro-businesses of under 10 employees....

23 April, 2020

Please Fill Out our Graphic & Visual Artists COVID-19 Survey

To advocate on behalf of graphic and visual artists, we’ve created a quick survey to get feedback on how you're impacted by the COVID-19 crisis....

20 April, 2020

Supreme Court Rules No Protection from State Copyright Infringement

The Supreme Court ruled Congress didn’t have the authority to take away the states’ sovereign immunity from copyright infringement via the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act....

10 April, 2020

The Quick and Dirty about Working From Home

Work from home has become an essential part of the cost of doing business. For your benefit, here is the quick and dirty for surmounting this new normal....

07 April, 2020

CARES Act Benefits Freelancers and Small Businesses

The CARES Act, passed to address the financial duress caused by the COVID-19 crisis, includes programs designed to assist small businesses and freelancers....

06 April, 2020

Member Spotlight: Design is Professional

For World Design Day 2020, themed “Design is Professional”, we explored what it is to be a professional, and what role ethics play in design....

01 April, 2020

COVID-Related Resources Launched

To help our community stay informed on COVID-related news and weather a work slowdown, the Guild has launched two resource pages....

28 March, 2020

Guild Responds to Copyright Office Inquiry on Online Publication

The Graphic Artists Guild submitted comments to a Notice of Inquiry from the Copyright Office on online publication....

21 March, 2020

Working From Home, My New Reality

Working from home with children is like speeding through a circus while carrying a stack of your grandmother’s prized china....

20 March, 2020

Member Spotlight: Women in Graphic Arts

For Women’s History Month, we interviewed a few women Graphic Artist Guild members about their work and the women role models who inspired them. ...

02 March, 2020

Design Can: A Manifesto for Disrupting the Status Quo

The Design CAN asks designers and stakeholders to confront their prejudices and eliminate discrimination– racial, gender, and disability....

26 February, 2020

Copyright Registration Fees are Increasing March 20

The Copyright Office has announced that the fees for copyright registration applications most used by graphic artists will be going up on March 20....

24 February, 2020

Oracle vs Google: Guild Joins Amicus Brief

The Graphic Artists Guild has joined nine other creators’ rights organizations on an amicus brief submitted in Google LLC vs Oracle America, Inc....

19 February, 2020

Conversations on Diversity in Design

February being Black History Month, we think its a good time to talk about diversity in the world of graphic arts. ...

14 February, 2020

California’s AB5 Bill and the Unintended Consequences for Freelancers

California’s AB5 attempts to address labor issues for gig-economy workers, but has resulted in companies being reluctant to hire independent contractors....

29 January, 2020

Protect Yourself from Scams: Tips on Best Business Practices

Learn how to identify third-party and job opportunity scams....

28 January, 2020

Amicus Brief: Court Awards an Infringer Legal Fees Based on Technical Defense

A Ninth Circuit court decision awarded attorney’s fees to an infringer who prevailed on a technical defense....

17 January, 2020

We’ve Been Busy! 2019 Recap of Guild Activities

Events, meetings, webinars, live chats: advocating for the CASE Act wasn't the only thing we did in 2020!...

12 January, 2020

Thousands of Copyrighted Works Enter the Public Domain

In 2020, a trove of works from 1924 have entered public domain...

04 January, 2020

Maria Strong Appointed Acting Register of Copyrights

Maria Strong will head the Copyright Office while a replacement for Karen Temple is sought....

23 December, 2019

One Senator Is Holding Up Access to Justice for Creators

Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon put a hold on the bill in November, and talks to resolve his concerns have stalled....

20 December, 2019

Ico-D Best Practices for Design Competitions

ico-D has published greatly revised best practice papers on organizing a design competition and on serving as a juror for a design award....

07 December, 2019

Affinity Publisher: An Alternative to Creative Cloud

With cutting edge tools such as StudioLink, Affinity Publisher is an affordable competitor to Adobe InDesign....

18 November, 2019

National Board of Directors Hold Landmark In-Person Meeting

The Guild National Board met in October for the first in-person annual meeting in which ExComm At Large Directors were elected by the regional reps....

07 November, 2019

Meet Your New National Executive Committee Members

This October, under our new Constitution, for the first time our regional reps elected the ExComm At Large Directors....

02 November, 2019

New Regional Reps: Fresh Talent, Fresh Energy!

After our first election under our new Guild Constitution, we're excited to announce the election of our Regional Reps!...

30 October, 2019

Affinity Photo: An Alternative to Creative Cloud

Affinity Photo works well as a photo retouching or image creation tool, but lacks the workflow management tools Adobe provides in Lightroom and Bridge....

23 October, 2019